Looking to Increase Employee Performance? Motivation is Critical.
November 21, 2007
Looking to Increase Employee Performance? Motivation is Critical.
by: Dick Grote
What’s an organization to do when all of its honest and genuine efforts to motivate Sally and Sam to come to work on time, work safely, deliver efficient services, and act as if they were happy to be a part of the team, fail? There is no shortage of pop-psych books and motivational speakers who’ll tell you a thousand-and-one ways to light a fire in Sam’s belly. But what do you do when the fire goes out and none of those thousand-and-one ways seem to work any more? What do we really know about motivation?
Does anything work?
Given the constant barrage of pep talks and posters, slogans and free advice on the topic of motivation, there should certainly be at least a couple of core principles that predictably work every time. Aren’t there? Or are we stuck with the notion that everybody’s an individual, and what’s a turn-on for Sally is likely to be a turn-off for Sam?
QUIT TOLERATING CRYBABIES
November 21, 2007
QUIT TOLERATING CRYBABIES
by: Michael Mercer, Ph.D.
I bet you have some employees, colleagues, family or friends who are crybabies.
Definition: In our Spontaneous Optimism™ book, we define a pessimist as someone who loves to do three things:
1. Complain
2. Blame
3. Moan
They are “Loser Magnets” - because they magnetically attract other pessimists and crybabies who love to complain, blame, and moan.
In fact, they are “Emotional Vampires” who cherish every opportunity you give them to suck the good feelings right out of your skull.
ADULT TANTRUMS
If you think about it, an adult who wallows in complaining, blaming and moaning is, in reality, throwing the adult version of a child’s temper tantrum. An upset child will cry and kick and scream. Well, adults cannot do such “childish” actions. So, they do the more pseudo-intelligent thing: They
1. love to list anything that goes wrong (complain)
2. point fingers at how someone else goofed up (blame)
3. wallow in the emotional mud for as long as anyone listens (moan)
Recommendation: The next time you see an adult “bent out of shape,” pause for a moment. Realize you are witnessing the adult version of a child’s tantrum.
Our Brains and Decision-Making: Emotional or Rational?
November 20, 2007
Our Brains and Decision-Making: Emotional or Rational?
by: Patsi Krakoff
Neuroscientists are now discovering more about the brain and how it processes information and makes decisions. While much remains to be learned, apparently we may not be as rational and in control of our senses as we think we are.
The closer scientists look, the clearer it becomes that we are much like our animal ancestors. To understand the brain better, think of it in terms of three layers:
1. reptilian or primitive
2. dog
3. human
Three Brains in One
The reptilian brain consists of the top of the spinal cord and the base of the brain. It consists of those parts we share in common with reptiles and fish. It is responsible for many of our automatic systems for survival, such as breathing and hunger.
Wrapped around these structures is the ancient limbic system which is very similar to the brains of dogs and other mammals. It is the seat of basic emotions such as fear, aggressiveness and contentment.
Do Your Own Taxes with Online Software
November 19, 2007
Do Your Own Taxes with Online Software
by: Jeremy LaDart
Taxes are so complicated that it has become a year-round job just to keep up. Everything you do throughout the year has an impact on your taxes. Did you get married? Did you buy/sell a home? Did you have children? Did you change jobs? Did you put any money into a retirement account? Did you donate to charity? And onand onand on.
Thousands and thousands of laws for Federal filing alone, but in fact State tax codes are often even more cumbersome, and everyone wants to get your business. Tax preparation has become a multi-billion dollar a year business in this country. You have to get all the paperwork together and spend several hours of your time in an office just to pay someone else $100 to $300.
Luckily, technology has caught on and can save you both time and money. New online and downloadable software has become so advanced that anyone can use it. Yes, ANYONE.
BENEFITS OF DO IT YOURSELF TAX SOFTWARE
• Fast, easy and accurate
• Do it from the comfort of your own home
• Offers many different options
Trading Systems - When to Override a System
November 18, 2007
Trading Systems - When to Override a System
by: Markus Heitkoetter
When should you override a trading strategy?
Let’s use the following example for trading the e-mini S&P:
Your system establishes a long position at 1190.00 and the profit target order was placed at 1192.25 ($112.50 profit per contract). Prices moved up to 1192.00 and reversed. One hour later the system tries to reverse at 1191.00. Again prices moved up to 1190.75 and reversed. Two times the system missed the profit target by one tick.
Should you change the strategy?
or
Should you manually override the strategy when something like this happens?
Doing any of this is like opening Pandorra’s Box: Let’s say you start lowering your profit goal by one tick. Of course you will be instantly rewarded, because the number of winners would increase. Next week you might experience the following situation: Your stop is hit and you are taken out of the trade, but then the market turns and takes off and you are missing a nice winner. What now? You start moving your stop a little bit further away and again you are instantly rewarded: The number of losers decrease.
Goal Getting - An Alternate Way To Approach Your Direct Sales Business
November 17, 2007
Goal Getting - An Alternate Way To Approach Your Direct Sales Business
by: Annette Yen
In my many years of Party Plan direct selling I have seen it time and time again… women come home from their annual convention fired up, determined that by next year they’ll be able to walk the stage in the top 10, earn the cruise and have enough income to purchase their dream home on the ocean. It is great to come home motivated and excited about your company. Having big dreams is a wonderful thing!
Sometimes, however, it’s just not realistic for the average WAHM who wants a life outside of her business. Because she has just heard some wonderful goal setting advice from the top leaders in our company she sets those wonderful goals, posts them on the fridge with a picture of the dream home circled in red pen and she looks at them every day.
The Top 10 Reasons to Invest in Mutual Funds
November 16, 2007
Everyone who follows the financial news has heard of mutual funds and knows the stock market has generally risen (with various ups-and-downs) for over 200 years. In fact, by most measures, the stock market has made more money for more people, and done it more reliably, than any other investment over the past 100 years! If you want to accumulate substantial wealth, you must include stocks in your investments!
But, most people who "invest" don’t study the market. They don’t understand it, and they don’t have time to manage their portfolio wisely. That’s where mutual funds come in. I respect that other people have other opinions, and certainly not all mutual funds are well managed ? you MUST choose wisely and use appropriate caution! But, for most folks, a good, solid, boring mutual fund is the golden path to riches.
Here are my Top 10 reasons to us mutual funds:
1. Selection. You can select from thousands of funds (you’ll find one to suit your needs) and you can get information on them easily. Magazines like "Money" are easy to find. Most credit unions have information, and your local library is a goldmine ? and there’s the Internet.
Choosing A Forex Broker
November 16, 2007
With currency trading becoming ever more popular, the number of brokers is growing at a rapid rate. What should one look at when deciding which broker to open an account with? These are the important points to consider.
Spread
Because currencies, unlike futures and stocks, are not traded through a central exchange, the spread can be different depending on the broker you use, so it’s well worth checking a few out before you open an account. Most forex brokers publish live or delayed prices on their websites so you can compare spreads, but check if the spread is fixed or variable. A fixed spread means exactly that - it will always be the same no matter what time of day or night it is. Some brokers use a variable spread, which might appear to be nice and small when the market is quiet, but when things get busy they can widen the spread which means the market must move more in your favor before you start to make a profit. Fixed spreads are generally slightly wider than the variable spreads are when at their narrowest, but over the long term fixed can be safer.
Execution
Asset Allocation: Critical to Your Investment Success
November 15, 2007
Asset allocation is a critical component of investing success. Both research and academic studies show asset allocation to be single most significant factor in determining your financial goals. Allocation influences both the total long-term return and risk of your investment portfolio. Other factors such as security selection and market timing account for a very small percentage of your investment returns. Unfortunately, the most important decision to achieving financial success is also the least understood.
What is asset allocation? Most people confuse asset allocation with diversification. They believe it has something to do with making multiple investments among groups of similar assets. Ask investors to list the assets in which they would consider investing. Typical answers include “growth stocks”, “bonds”, “large caps”, and sometimes “international stocks.” But their diversification is limited to selection within one asset. For example, someone choosing to purchase technology stocks may invest in five or six companies ? but all within the technology industry. This reduces risk if one of the companies should fail, but is useless when the technology industry (or entire stock market) slumps.
Powerful Presenters Close More Sales
November 14, 2007
Powerful Presenters Close More Sales
by: Wendy Maynard
For many professionals (consultants, designers, architects, etc.), presentations are a key aspect of the sales cycle that can’t be ignored. Let’s face it, you’ve got a lot riding on how you look, what you say, and the way you answer questions. In order to get more new clients, you must become a master of the art of a quality presentation.
A successful presenter is one who comes across as confident, creative, and convincing. Here are some key features of a winning presentation:
1. Be prepared: Know your subject intimately. Be ready to answer questions and describe the benefits to your client in detail. Well in advance, brainstorm your client’s potential objections and have a solution prepared.
2. Create rapport: Don’t be so focused on the presentation that you forget to nurture the relationship you are building with your clients. They want to know what type of person you are.
3. Present by objectives: With each component that you present, explain its advantages and how it will help your client achieve their specific goals.
